Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-25
THE SPLENDID MERMAID.
Lev Jack saw One. or Something Very
LIKE One. but Couidn't Catch Her.

I'm SnfA - VnS W ~
Lhs One. bat Coaidn't Catch Her.
81 was one day out a-fsh'ng. said
IN old salt to a London new pa per man,
Gin about three fathoms OF wa;er
alt was a old 0ciob rday. the water
very quiet. There was ouulines, whit
ings, poutings a Il the like OF such fish
70 c,rrh in plenty. and | roved out to
Q II / could arm a shil m.
Well, when | came To the place
where I rrckomd the fish was. l threw
in my oars, picked up the boats anchor
and chucked . overboard.
a. Guess my surprise and ANNOYANCE
when | fund that some n had been
and gone and cut the cable close TO
where II was male fast in tho boat. IL
va the dong OF some boys, | suppose;
but, anyways, the ancnor took the
cable. and away went the whole
1T was a new rope, and 1 had no
notion of losing il and my little anchor
as we'll; so I took a ifs ing line. put
son extra weights upon IL, and So
cured the other end 10 a little cork
fender, with which i buoyed the spot,
and then rowed home again for the loan
Of q creep.
"A creep. I may tell ye. is a contriv-
snce for sweeping the bottom OF the
water with, to bring up anything ye may
have lost
well, / got the loan OF one, and
called 10 Jimmy Dadds, a chap Of about
rs years old, TO conn out and give me q
hand. promising him half a pint. We
rowed out, came to the place, AMI he
began To row quietly. while 1 ehucked
the creep over.
II hadn't been down two minutes
when it came across something that
felt soft. IL wasn't u be pulled up easy.
The hold OF it anchored tho boat.
What the blazes have We hooked
horer says i to Jimmy, feeling whatever
IL was wobbling, AS Il might be. upon
the creep. n yet refusing TO come up.
80 Come and lie S a hand.
II got up, laid hold OF the line,
and hauled with ma. What was coming
We couldn't imagine.
THE feel, / tell ye, was quite
singlar. IL wasn't like a piece OF
wreck 1t wasn't like a fish II wasn't
like being foul OF a rock. There was a
kind OF swaying n softness about il,
~ IL the object was alive and was hold
Ing on TO prevent being drawed up.
Haul! says l.
we bent our lacks, and started the
ocleet ,sito i It's moorl.ss oeiow anu
what dye think anne upl
Why, sir, there popped half out OF
water the beauLlfullest female as ever
ye set ey,s on She looked right at
w, anu never sec such q smile as she
one seemed 70 lie covered with
Jewes, ahdher black hair was AL wre. IL
ou aoost win had one
Arm Raised OUT OF water, and This was
stretched out 10 US as II h entrealed
US 10 ieaSe her alone.
jim a was the most ignorant
iooi oil a lad that ever ! met, at sight
Oh her gives a screen and tumble
nght backwards Into the bottom OF the
ooa',
MS falling threw the line out OF
nv hand. The woman disappeared, and
Nheh nauled up the creep Tor her
again lhe ohs came up naked.
1 i was q BIZ sc red myself.
outnot so alarmed that ! WASH anxious
70 go on creeping Tor her again. But
Jimmy reiu ed To have anything more 10
90 with l. he said no; he'd come
out 10 sweep Tor AZ anchor, he didnt
want no dealings with apmr tons. Us
10 tn. hal. pint. | might drink il nv
4. What ne required was 10 Toe put
ashore.
However. I wasn't going 10 leave
without NY anchor. so rL, the lo,t
into position again, and AT the first
throw of the creep | brings up the cnbI.,.
1 t. n rowed Jimmy asho .. where,
meeting n COZ, le II men 4 tells 'h,,,
e the APART on that aue up, aud in
vites I en- Ia ron eOut aud Try II anotd, II
Gig { could lie GOT u her.
Well, they consented, hut though [
could have wore we swept over the
place tw nty times we never hooked On
10 the object. IL got Ia ked about, AID
others & led, but to no purpose.
jimmy yarn made people believe it
was n mermaid. Fact is, he WAS IN such
astt e Of funk. he saw n good Ieal more
than | did or that any other man that
had'n lot his head would.
He saIi -he motionei with her and,
rs though 10 drive US away aud that
her eyes sparkI-sl. couldn { denv my.
self that she looked as II he dress was
coated with iewe 5 ana pearls, at least
as much of her dress as could see
and there's no DENYING. also. that ner
hair was a beauti al black, and Is she
rose 10 the surface, lookel " befi ating
49,